1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to task scheduling across (possibly geographically) distributed workplaces and in particular to a method for mixing human and computer-supported initiative in distributed scheduling.
In the invention, a distributed document production setting is used as an example scenario to describe the approach, but the scenario could be generalized to be any distributed setting wherever scheduling activities occur to manage tasks in workplaces.
In the distributed document production example, this invention presents a method for decision-makers in a printshop to negotiate and transmit print job data to other printshops for off-site production or to receive print jobs from other printshops when operating below capacity.
2. Description of the Related Art
Users often reject planning and scheduling tools because they are not adapted to the actual work practices or are perceived as totally disruptive even if the users are very interested in the functionality they are provided with. For example, printshop decision-makers, who are working on the job schedule have to provide electronic scheduling information in order to receive an automated support when negotiating jobs across remote printshops. However, if they are used to work with collaborators on a whiteboard, they are reluctant to change this practice for adapting a fully computer-supported scheduler.
Most computer based automatic scheduling systems have the drawback that they do not support the currently used representation of production schedules and scheduling decisions.
As described in Moran, T., Saund, E., van Melle, W., Gujar, A. U., Fishkin, K. P., Harrison, B. L.: “Design and Technology for Collaborage: Collaborative Collages of Information on Physical Walls”, in: Proc. of UIST'99, 1999, and Saund, E: “Bringing the Marks on a Whiteboard to Electronic Life”, in Proc. of CoBuild'99, 1999, there has been designed and implemented an architecture for physically representing information on a board and connecting it with electronic information. The connection is achieved by tracking the board and applying image analysis techniques on it. These systems provide the possibility to describe tasks on a wall representation or provide features for whiteboard writing and selective command specification on parts of the board.
An example for usage of large screen displays to support collaboration is the Dyna Wall described in Strietz, N., Geissler, J., Holmer, T.: “Roomware for Cooperative Buildings: Integrated Design of Architectural Spaces and Information Spaces”, in: Strietz, N., Konomi, S., Burkhardt, H. (Eds.), Cooperative Buildings—Integrating Information, Organization, and Architecture. Proc. of CoBuild98, Darmstadt, Germany. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, Vol. 1370, Springer, Heidelberg, 1998, pp. 4-21. Dyna Wall is a large screen display with an active area of 4.5×1.1 meters and a resolution of 3072×768 pixels. It is formed by three networked, back-projected electronic whiteboards each with its own controlling personal computer. User interaction is by hand-gesture and pen input. The implementers have developed a number of interaction techniques for manipulating objects on the display. The intent of this device is to support collaborative working, apparently using applications similar to those found on standard two-dimensional graphical user interfaces.
Other wall editing technologies are described in U.S. Pat. Nos.: 5,485,565; 5,528,290; 6,005,482; and 5,581,637, which are incorporated herein by reference. Additional wall editing technologies are described by in Moran, T., van Melle, W., Chiu, P., “Spatial Interpretation of Domain Objects Integrated into a Freeform Electronic Whiteboard”, in: Proc. of UIST '98, 1998, and in Moran, T., van Melle, W., Chiu, P., “Tailorable Domain Objects as Meeting Tools for an Electronic Whiteboard”, in: Proc. of CSCW '98,1998, which are also incorporated herein by reference.
All these systems for electronic representation of manually applied information on a board do not provide any architecture for supporting distributed scheduling.